


The PREPARATION of i 
MISSIONARIES |). || 


| for LITERARY WORK s \ 
We 









This report is typical of others representing highly : hay 
specialized phases of missionary effort which may +3) 
be prepared, if called for, in the future. Before 

issuing it in a permanent edition, or preparing other 

reports like it, the Board desires a wide-ranging 

missionary criticism and will welcome every pos- 

sible suggestion. 





My BOARD OF MISSIONARY PREPARATION 
e 25 Madison Sihenrk New York 

































We ‘.? 

ah Weseick Tae tO Oa, D.D. 
he Rev. James L. Barton, | D.D. 

Prof. “Harlan P. Beach, D. D. \ 

David Bovaird, M.D. (G 

Prof. : O. E. Brown, D ie 

Prof. Ernest De pd a Burton, D; .D. 

Miss. Helen B. Calder 

Prof. Edward W. Capen, Ph.D. 

Prof. W. O: Carver, D.D.. 

The Rev. Wm. 1.,Chamberlain, Ph.D. 

The Rev. George Drach : 

The Rev. James Endicott, D.D. 

Prof. Daniel J. Fleming, Ph.D. 

Dean H. E. W. Fosbroke, D.D. 

Pres. Henry C. King, D.D. 

Prof. Walter L. Lingle, D.D. 

The Rt. Rev. Arthur §. Lloyd, D.D. 

The Rev. R. P. Mackay, D.D. 


W. DOUGLAS MACKENZIE, Chatrutn 
FENNELL P. TURNER, Secretary . 
WILLIAM I. CHAMBERLAIN, Treasurer 





i sn 4 fates 
Pres. W. Douglas Mackentic D 
John R. Mott, LL.D.. si 
The Rev. Frank Mason North. 


Pres. C. T.’Paul, Ph.D. 4 
Prof. Henry B. Robins, Ph.D. 
Dean James E. Russell, dae D 
T. H. P. Sailer, Ph.D. 
Miss Una Saunders 
Prof. E. D. Soper, D.D. 
Robert E. Speer, D.D. 
Pres, J. Ross Calm D. D 
Fennell P. Turner 


Pres. Wilbert W. White, PhD. 
Pres. Mary E. Woolley, Coicng" 


ARCHIVES . 
WISSICHARY RESEARCH LIBRAR: 
Critle © NOT ies Tan of ears ated 


THE PREPARATION OF MISSIONARIES 
FOR LITERARY WORK 


} 


THE REPORT OF A COMMITTEE APROINTED BY 
THE BOARD OF MISSIONARY PREPARATION 


Proressor EpmMunp D. Soper, D.D., Chairman 
THE REVEREND Morris W. EHNES 

Tue Reverenp Siwney L. Guticx, D.D. 

THE REVEREND Frep P. Haccarp, D.D. 

THe ReEvEREND S. G. INMAN 

ProFessor JOHN P. Jones, D.D. 

PresmwENT Henry C. Kine, D.D. 

D. Witiarp Lyon, D.D. 

Tue RevereND D. MacGriivray, D.D. 

THE REVEREND J. LovELL Murray 

Miss ExizaBetH C. NortHrup, M.A. 

Mr. Henry W. PrEasopy 

THe RevereND S. H. Wainwreicut, D.D., M.D. 
Tue ReverEND Howarp A. WALTER 

Tue ReveREND STANLEY Wuite, D.D. 

Dean Tatcotr WiiuiaMs, LL.D. 

Dean WALTER WILLIAMS, LL.D. 

ProFessor CLinton T. Woop, M.A. 

THE REVEREND SAMUEL M. Zwemer, D.D. 


Board of Missionary Preparation 
25 Madison Ave., New York City 

















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ARCHIVES 
MISSICNARY RESEARCH LIBRARY 


PREFACE 


The following report has been prepared by the Board of 
Missionary Preparation in response to the urgent plea of 
a conference held early in 1915,,under the auspices of the 
Committee on Literature of the Continuation Committee 
of the World Missionary Conference. It was thought at 
first that a brief statement to be appended to a general 
report on the Preparation of Educational Missionaries 
would suffice. The Executive Committee of the Board of 
Missionary Preparation appointed, at its meeting held 
March 23, 1915, a special committee to formulate such a 
statement. This committee, composed of Dr. T. H. P. Sailer, 
Chairman; Dr. J. P. Jones, Mr. D. W. Lyon, Mr. F. P. 
Turner and Dr. S. H. Wainwright, together with the 
Director, held a meeting on April 24, 1915. After full 
discussion, this committee made the following recommen- 
dation: 


After thoughtful consideration of the request of the Executive 
Committee of the Board of Missionary Preparation, it is the judg- 
ment of this special committee that the end in view will not be 
most helpfully attained by the modification of the report on the 
preparation of educational missionaries. 

The committee, therefore, recommends that the Executive Com- 
mittee of the Board of Missionary Preparation take steps to 
organize a special committee to report on preparation for literary 
work, possibly dividing into two sections on vernacular literature 
and on literary work in English. 


Acting upon this recommendation a committee was duly 
organized with membership as given on another page of 
this report. This committee completed its first report in 
the fall of 1916, and presented it at the annual meeting 
in December. The Board gave it a general discussion at 
that meeting and ordered. its printing for more adequate 
criticism. Since then the report has undergone the careful 


ili 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


scrutiny of each member of the Board of Missionary Prep- 
aration. It was presented also at the January, 1917, meet- 
ing of the Foreign Missions Conference and later given the 
personal attention of most of the Foreign Secretaries and 
of the specialists of the Mission Boards of North America. 
Meanwhile, each member of the committee which in itself 
represented a wide range of literary experience, was urged 
to give the report most exacting consideration. Out of 
the many suggestions thus obtained the basis was laid for 
a thorough-going revision of the report which is now 
presented to the constituency of the Board for its candid 
consideration. 

The questions which this report seeks to answer are very 
perplexing. They cannot be treated dogmatically. It is 
hoped that such a conservative presentation as that made 
herein by the Committee on Preparation for Literary Work 
will, on the one hand, guard against the natural impulse 
of candidates with literary ability to wish to specialize in 
literary work too soon and, on the other, conserve such 
ability, when coupled at least with the requisite qualities 
and experience, for this highly needed type of special mis- 
sionary service. 


FRANK K. SANDERS, 
Director of the Board of Missionary Preparation. 


SEPTEMBER, 1917. 


iv 


II. 


{it, 


IV. 


CONTENTS 


. THE NEED FOR LITERARY WoRK AND WORKERS............ 1 
1. The Function of Literature in Missionary Work......... 3 
em Mer Peschitn@PPOLtiinity rally NCCU. oc'<'s'c cc «sie pre ole «eee 5 


3. The Forms of Literature and Kinds of Workers Needed.. 10 


THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE LITERARY WORKER.......... 14 
1. The Peter a PGC OTTIES IU ete sy gee 2d 2 oc UTd dls vie evn aneiaai a «ote a8 15 
eee new Laer amon Gril Gee tira wiaiel« cae apse’ Siaialeaty aide Siew precae 4 16 


3. The Special Knowledge Necessary for the Literary 
WV ORRCIEEN ES Cee Oke rate Celsse Geet hs gastos edinee 17 


THE SELECTION AND DESIGNATION OF LITERARY WORKERS.. 19 


TuHeE PREPARATION OF THE LITERARY WORKER.......---e- 21 


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THE PREPARATION OF MISSIONARIES FOR 
LITERARY WORK 


The following report was undertaken in response to the 
request of those who are deeply interested in the right 
solution of the important problem of producing a true, 
Christian literature in lands now quickening into self-con- 
sciousness, studying their own ideals and interpreting their 
own history. It is unique in that it touches on the activity 
of a comparatively small number of those who devote them- 
selves to the missionary enterprise. Literary work at its 
best is a highly specialized form of missionary activity. 
Every missionary recognizes its importance; many, con- 
scious of a real message to their people, have been notably 
useful in meeting its demands, even when bearing crushing 
burdens of another sort. There is a growing feeling, how- 
ever, that the needs of the future will call for an increasing 
number of men and women, who will be set apart, by their 
mission or by several missions acting cooperatively, for this 
important work, either for short periods of time or per- 
manently, as experience or circumstance may dictate. The 
whole task of literary production is becoming standardized 
and cooperatively managed in the greater regions of mis- 
sionary activity, so that an opportunity is given to the one 
with literary power which has in the past been almost 
unknown. 


I. Tue NEED For LITERARY WoRK AND WORKERS 


No man or woman who is a candidate for the mission 
field is, as a rule, given an immediate appointment to literary 
work. A literary worker develops into that activity on the 
mission field. But while this is true, the choice of the man 
or woman to do literary work must proceed on certain 
recognized principles. With these we may attempt to deal. 


1 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


The first question concerns, naturally, the meaning given 
to the terms “literature” and “literary work” on the mis- 
sion field. Without question the Bible takes its place of 
preeminence as the supreme literary need of all the peoples 
to whom missionaries are sent. To provide the Christian 
Scriptures in the vernacular is the first concern of the 
missionary purposing to plant his faith firmly in any land. 
This has been recognized from the very beginning of Prot- 
estant missionary enterprise. The result has been that the 
whole or parts of the Christian Scriptures have been trans- 
lated into all the important languages of the world and 
into many of the dialects. The work is by no means com- 
plete. Not only are many peoples unreached by the entire 
Bible or even by the New Testament, but the needs of care- 
ful revision are so insistent that much energy must be 
expended for many years to make the pure Word of God 
available in such form as shall carry its message clearly 
to the minds and hearts of waiting peoples. 

But while we as Christians are “people of the Book,” and 
are vitally interested in the work of the Bible Societies and 
of all other agencies employed in the translation, publica- 
tion, and dissemination of the Scriptures, that is not the 
problem we are asked to face in this report. The purpose 
here is to deal with literature in its widest meaning. All 
that is needed to nurture Christian faith and make it intel- 
ligent, to train in Christian service, and to stimulate growth 
in grace is of the greatest importance. But this is only one 
phase of the task. Many kinds of literature, more or less 
secular in character, form a part of the provision to which 
the Christian forces must devote their attention if they are 
to do their full duty by growing peoples who look to them 
for guidance. It is “literature” then in a very broad sense 
with which we deal. The field of the literary worker is 
as wide and as important as the intellectual and spiritual 
needs of the people among whom he works. 


2 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


1. The Function of Literature in Missionary Work 


The spoken word of the Christian preacher and the 
printed page are both essential to the full proclamation of 
the message of the missionary. While the emphasis should 
be laid upon preaching as the main agency for reaching the 
non-Christian population, the effectiveness of the printed 
page cannot be overestimated. In the words of Dr. Ritson, 
“The printed page alone is the ubiquitous missionary.” It 
is to be found where the missionary cannot go. It has cer- 
tain advantages over preaching, especially among thoughtful 
people. What is read can be reread and pondered; it can 
be read to others; it can be made the basis of discussion 
between friends who would not have it known that they 
had the slightest interest in the claims of Christ. The 
rapid transformation of society in Asia by Christian prin- 
ciples and ideas, even where there has been no discernible 
movement toward the Christian Church, is due far more 
widely than can be estimated to the influence of literature 
which is distinctively Christian or at least Christian in tone. 
It was once stated by Dr. Charles R. Watson that “No 
agency can penetrate Islam so deeply, abide so persistently, 
witness so daringly, and influence so irresistibly, as the 
printed page.” What is true of Mohammedan peoples is 
true of adherents of other faiths. 

Christian literature ministers to the intellectual and re- 
ligious needs of the growing Christian community. The 
promotion of worship, the conduct of Sunday-schools and 
other agencies of the Church, the interpretation of the 
Bible, and the building up of the Christian life, all demand 
books and periodicals and various other forms of literature 
with which we are familiar. Direction must also be given 
in the practical affairs of daily life and in Christian and 
social service. A literature for women is almost non-ex- 
istent. Books, pamphlets and periodical literature dealing 


3 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


with their special problems are even more needed than 
among us. Children must have stories and books of in- 
struction in nature study and in useful crafts and arts, 
while those who are older demand many of the forms of 
reading which come crowding daily into our homes and 
which in most cases we merely take for granted. One of 
the immediate and growing effects of the introduction of 
Christianity into any country is the liberation of the human 
mind, involving the creation of an insatiable desire for 
knowledge and the raising of ideals and desires. This must 
be met by the Christian Church at the peril of losing its 
hold on the intellect of its converts just at a time when all 
the world seems new and when the mind must be fed or 
else relapse into apathy or, worse still if possible, be ruined 
by the flood of pernicious literature which lies ready to 
hand. 

Educational work is making it necessary to provide many 
books and other printed matter for schools and colleges. 
These volumes are partly religious, but are more largely 
on the various subjects taught in the schools. To some 
extent this need is met through secular channels which, 
however, can at best only issue books colorless religiously. 
Hence the conviction is strong that the missionary has a 
distinct responsibility to provide many of the books to be 
used in educational institutions. Our schools must be held 
to high academic standards; they must also be unmistak- 
ably Christian.. The whole problem involved in this double 
demand is voiced by Dr. Ritson in a pregnant question, 
“Has a missionary Society which takes no responsibility in 
providing healthy Christian literature any right to assume 
the task of education?” 

Christian literature should make an important contribu- 
tion to the formation of the new world order. Such prob- 
lems as those of social and economic reconstruction, the 
relationship of capital and labor in the new industrial life 


4 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


of the peoples of the East, the race problem, which raises 
its head wherever white man and oriental meet, the de- 
termination of the meaning and rights of nationality—these 
and a host of other questions are bound to arise wherever 
the Christian message is preached and men begin to feel 
after a new social and political order. Christian literature 
must not fail at this point. It aims not only to evangelize, 
but to impregnate all the relationships of life with the spirit 
of Christ. In some backward countries conditions are as 
yet too primitive to present a demand for the interpreta- 
tion of the new age, but these sections are few indeed as 
compared with those where the seething mass of humanity 
is laying a heavy hand on Christianity to interpret its life 
in the midst of their confusion and uncertainty. 

What of Christianity itself? All the forces of unbelief 
and evil are seeking to undermine its influence. A literature 
must be built up whose function is to present the faith in 
its true light, defend it from attack, show its relation to the 
great non-Christian religions, and thus make its appeal 
clear and strong to those who otherwise might be led to 
believe that Christianity could not stand up under strong 
opposition. Many questions arise in the minds even of the 
most faithful Christians which demand an answer. Above 
all else Christianity must not be obscurantist. It must 
frankly face all the problems of life and provide the Chris- 
tian interpretation. More potent than any other agency is 
the printing press to present the case for the faith and cause 
it to appear in its true light. 


2. The Present Opportunity and Need 


All that has been said concerning the function of litera- 
ture relates, of course, to the opportunity and need of the 
present day. But from the beginning of the modern mis- 
sionary period literature has been produced to’meet the 
needs of the Christian society and the individual believer. 


5 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


In pointing to the needs of our own day no word must be 
spoken in disparagement of the past,—that is secure. Some 
of the best work of the past century has been literary, and 
we can never surpass it. Robert Morrison, the first Prot- 
estant missionary in China, was perforce almost exclusively 
a literary missionary. William Carey has as one claim to 
distinction the reputation of being the creator of Bengali 
prose. Dr. James C. Hepburn was the writer of the first 
great Japanese-English dictionary, and Dr. W. A. P. Mar- 
tin’s “Evidences of Christianity’ has been marvelously 
effective in commending Christianity to the Chinese and 
Japanese. Robert Moffat, by his translation of the Bible 
into the speech of the Bechuana nation, started a movement 
which has given to hundreds of African peoples portions 
of the Scriptures in their own tongues. These are but a 
few of a large number who have heard the call of God to 
literary labors. The complete catalogue of books and other 
literature in various tongues would provide impressive 
evidence of the need and place of literary work in the 
missionary enterprise. 

But no one can be found who believes that the present 
condition is satisfactory. The exact reverse is the case. 
Literary work is one of the neglected fields and alarm is 
felt because of the dangers involved. The parable in the 
Gospel of the man whose house was swept and garnished, 
but whose last state was worse than the first, is suggestive 
here. The devils of foul literature and antichristian polemic 
are becoming very bold in mission lands. The young men 
and women in our schools must read, and if we do not pro- 
vide reading of the right sort, the other kind is not far to 
seek. This is the most serious aspect of the situation and 
it is very real. One is amazed to find displayed in book 
stalls in the East all kinds of antichristian literature. In . 
large part these are translations of works of German, 
British, French and American writers, and they are widely 


6 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


read. Another class of literature, so-called, is in the form 
of pictures and printed matter which at its best is indecent, 
but which frequently descends to the lowest levels of lewd- 
ness and shame. Comparatively little has been done to meet 
this situation in a positive way by providing wholesome and 
uplifting reading matter for both old and young. 

Leaving aside this more tragic aspect of the need, the 
fact emerges in studying the titles of the literary material 
now being provided that much is obsolete and ill-fitted to 
present needs. This is true of all forms of literature. In 
the case of translations, it becomes increasingly apparent 
that the work in many instances was not well done. Lack- 
ing clarity and not being presented idiomatically, the works 
are not liked; there is little danger of their becoming “best 
sellers.” In other cases only selections have been translated, 
giving the impression of scrappiness in the final result. But 
apart from the defects of what we already have, even the 
best books grow old, especially in the long-worked fields, 
and new books are therefore constantly demanded. And 
finally, when one compares the titles now available which 
are suitable to the needs of today with the vast extent of 
the demands and the needs, the disparity is appalling. A 
quotation from Dr. Ritson again will make the real situa- 
tion clear. “If a farmer began to count the seeds in a 
sackful, his brain would begin to reel. But if he were set 
down with his single sack on the limitless prairie of North- 
western Canada, it would be the greatness of the field that 
would stagger him, and not the multitude of seeds in his 
sack. The number of human beings in the world who know 
little or nothing of Christ is more impressive than the 
annual output of all literature agencies combined, even if 
the output be expressed in pages. The existing organiza- 
tions with all their activity have only touched the very fringe 
of the world’s need.” 

As every one knows who has any acquaintance with 


7 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


world conditions and their relation to the Christian propa- 
ganda, a new situation has developed in recent years, for 
the most part since the opening of this century. We are 
face to face not only with more people accessible to the 
gospel, but with people whose whole idea of life and out- 
look on the future is new and strange to themselves. The 
world in which they live is far different from that of even 
a generation ago. The old landmarks have in many places 
almost disappeared. The counties of eastern and southern 
Asia and certain sections of Africa are being born anew 
intellectually, economically and socially. A liberation of the 
human mind is taking place. Old formulas do not speak 
the truth for today. An eager search is being instituted 
for what will give the needed satisfaction, but alas so many 
know not where to turn. This heightens our responsibility 
at the same time that it opens up a marvelous vista of 
opportunity. We are bound, as we have been so largely 
responsible for this awakening, to provide food and nourish- 
ment in every needed form for these growing peoples. The 
rapid increase in the number of readers in all these coun- 
tries is one of the most significant phenomena of our times, 
a renaissance fraught with the greatest possibilities of good 
and also of evil. They demand something more than a 
handful of tracts. We must give them works worthy of 
the greatness of our religion. 

While peoples remain illiterate and during the years when 
the Church is being planted, the problem of literature does 
not press for solution. This accounts in large measure for 
the relative neglect of this arm of mission service in the 
past. But in most countries the old stagnation is past. 
More and more the common people are becoming readers, 
and the church is an established fact in the community. 
No longer is there any excuse for neglect, and yet relatively 
speaking, very little, if any more literary work is being done 
now than formerly. One reason for this is at once sug- 


8 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


gested,—the missionaries are so fully occupied with itin- 
erating and preaching, taking care of converts and young 
churches, managing institutional work and attending to 
numerous distracting calls that there is no time for the 
slow, patient and laborious literary task awaiting them. 
The missionaries are already overworked,—yet this work 
must be done. To put it in the words of the late Dr. J. P. 
Jones, “It is the highest branch upon the ‘missionary tree, 
and will become the most fruitful and possessed of the 
most valuable fruit if the enterprise is properly conducted.” 

We are led to the conclusion that the missionary for lit- 
erary work must be recognized as having a distinct and 
important function. This has not been sufficiently recog- 
nized in the past, so that men have not been given their 
chance to make what might prove to be their most valuable 
contribution to the world’s evangelization. It does not 
mean that they are to be withdrawn completely from other 
phases of missionary activity. Inefficiency and even total 
failure will surely mark the literary missionary who gets 
out of touch with his fellow missionaries and out of sym- 
pathy with the native church and its growing needs. 

The difficulty is that other work so fully occupies the 
energies of the missionary force that to use Dr. Ritson’s 
words, “It is increasingly difficult to find missionaries with 
sufficient knowledge of native languages and adequate ex- 
perience, either for translation or original work.” The 
fault lies not with the individual missionaries, but with the 
lack of a policy which takes account of and makes adequate 
provision for the future and its needs. It means taking the 
“long view,” it means faith and courage, to detach men 
from aggressive evangelism or from students clamoring 
for instruction, to devote themselves to a form of service 
which is so different from what one ordinarily conceives 
as missionary work. Yet this is one of the imperative de- 
mands of the hour, and Dr. Ritson puts it in the plainest 


9 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


language when he says that “the time has fully come for 
the missionary Societies to take direct action in regard to 
Christian literature.” * 


3. The Forms of Literature and Kinds of Workers Needed 


In view of the statements made relative to the function 
of literature, it is quite evident that many kinds of litera- 
ture are needed. When we not only consider the immediate 
needs of the Christian communities, but attempt to plan 
a literature which shall so guide these communities that 
they may be saved from the mistakes, the schisms and the 
heresies which have marred the history of Western Chris- 
tendom, we are solemnized by the scope as well as the ex- 
ceeding delicacy of our task. 

To summarize the issue briefly, as the Church in any land 
develops the need for a new form of literature, this litera- 
ture must be provided. In the end this will mean a complete 
literature, from the Bible on one hand, to leaflets on all sorts 
of practical matters on the other. It is possible to be more 
specific. In the volume entitled “The Continuation Com- 
mittee Conferences in Asia, 1912-13,” full lists are given 
which shed much light on our problem. 

Even a casual survey of these lists reveals the wide scope 
of the literature needed. Without any attempt to be ex- 
haustive, we introduce here a summary giving the kinds of 
literature for which an increasing demand is felt. 


Theological literature—a very broad field in itself. 

Apologetics—the defence of Christianity and refutation of the 
various forms of unbelief. 

Commentaries and other Biblical helps. 

Sermons by well-known preachers. 

Literature to assist in evangelistic campaigns. 


1 For a very competent survey of the existing situation on the mission field 
as regards Christian literature, see Dr. Ritson’s “Christian Literature in the 
Mission Field,” published by the Continuation Committee of the World Mis- 
sionary Conference in 1915. 


10 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


Christian experience and conversion. 

The life and work of Christ. 

History—Biblical, church and secular. 

The comparison and the history of religions. 

Works on missions in the world—the whole movement of the 
expansion of Christianity. 

Biographies—of great men and women and of saintly characters. 

Devotional literature. 

Translations of the Church Fathers and of the great religious 
and literary classics. 

Philosophical and scientific works, both technical and popular. 

Sociology—community betterment, etc. 

Works on reforms—temperance, purity, etc. 

Fiction and stories with a Christian tone. 

Sunday-school literature. 

Art and music and poetical works. 

Special literature for women and children and their interests. 

Medical literature, technical and popular—personal hygiene, sani- 
tation, etc. 


A list could not be much more inclusive. To put it 
briefly, what we in Canada and in the United States need 
in our church and community life, the peoples who are 
inquiring about Christianity and western civilization and 
are pushing into the churches in the non-Christian world 
will need also. As we have felt the obligation to evangelize 
so we must feel the need to nurture and educate. Our aim 
does not stop at heralding the name of Christ; it pushes 
on to completely Christianize all the relations of life. We 
want to see Christian communities in every land which are 
intelligent as well as godly, which feel a sense of obliga- 
tion to make their lands thoroughly Christian as well as 
to lead blameless lives themselves. The part to be played 
by Christian literature in this whole movement is enormous. 

This literature will be multiform. Books come to mind 
first as the leading form literature must take. The more 
fundamental literature will inevitably take this form. But 
we must not imagine that our work is done when an 


11 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


adequate output of books is provided for. Periodical 
literature is greatly needed. The call comes for the more 
technical theological journal and at the same time for the 
popular, illustrated monthly magazine. The weekly paper 
is as much needed there as with us at home, as is periodical 
literature for women and children. A literature of leaflets 
and tracts for free distribution and quick reading is every- 
where in use, with increasing demands for a larger output. 
Another avenue of approach which is now open in Japan 
is the willingness of the secular press to receive Christian 
articles. It goes without saying they must be worthy of 
our faith, Much work in some lands remains to be done 
in reducing languages to,a written form and in providing 
dictionaries and grammars. ‘This is the case notably in 
pagan Africa and in other sections where men live in the 
savage or semi-savage state. 

Even such a short survey as we have provided empha- 
sizes the range of ability required to provide an adequate 
literature. There is a demand for original thinkers able 
to write books fitted to the spiritual, moral, and intellectual 
requirements of the thinking people. Increasingly the 
native Christian writer will take his place as a leader of 
thought among his people. At present, for the most part, 
he must collaborate with the missionary literary worker. 
The work of translation and adaptation of western works 
will never be completely superseded by original work in 
the languages of the mission field. In countries like Japan 
where the mind of the educated people has been moulded 
upon western models, the need will always exist for transla- 
tions of the best work in Europe and America. This means 
working with a Japanese helper who can furnish much 
to make the translation idiomatic and clear. 

One of the most important phases of the work will be 
editorial, not merely passing upon and correcting what is 
sent in by missionaries and native writers, but directing 


12 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


and planning their work for and with them. The dis- 
covery of natives who have talent and can be trained 
into acceptable writers is a large feature of this service. 
The work of the literary missionary is truly creative, and 
at the same time a work of discovery. Every talent he 
has will be put to the test, if he is to function effectively 
as a literary worker. 

An exceedingly important question is the relation of 
the missionary and the native writer in the production of 
literature. Is the literary work of the future to be done 
by foreign missionaries or by native Christians? The 
outstanding fact in most countries is that at present and 
for some time to come the brunt of the undertaking must 
be borne by foreigners, yet not by foreigners alone. The 
cooperation of capable and trained native writers is con- 
stantly needed, and the encouragement of natives to write 
is a most necessary feature of the literary worker’s task. 
Wherever the natives work side by side with missionaries 
the closest cooperation is urged. Not only can the mis- 
sionary be of the greatest assistance to the native, but the 
native can make himself indispensable to the foreigner. 
The outcome is clearly seen. The time must come when 
natives of each country shall bear the full burden of pro- 
viding an adequate Christian literature for their fellow 
Christians. But this day is far off in most countries, so 
in the meantime it becomes necessary for missionaries to 
do this work, training natives to work with them, that in 
the end they may assume the whole. 

In Japan the intellectual transformation has reached a 
more advanced stage than in any other country. The 
Japanese mind “is being literally transformed into the 
image of the western mind.” The question is raised 
whether the literary output must not proceed largely, if 
not entirely, from the pen of Japanese writers. The temp- 
tation is to say that this is the case—that Japanese writers 


13 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


must do the writing, needing little or no assistance from 
the foreign missionary. But the temptation must be 
resisted. A large place is still left for missionary coop- 
eration in literary production. While Dr. Sidney L. 
Gulick believes it would be folly for any American college 
student to prepare himself for the production of Christian 
literature in Japan, if he does so with the expectation of 
working independently of Japanese assistance, he is led 
to make this further statement: “A really able American 
writer, however, who is assisted by a gifted Japanese, 
would doubtless be able to render service of the highest 
value, which neither the American nor the Japanese work- 
ing independently could possibly make. While the Japanese 
writer should be sought and utilized to the utmost possible 
extent, for many years to come there will no doubt be 
opportunity and call for talented foreign writers to make 
their literary contributions. Such contributions, however, 
to be effective, must be the joint product of the foreigner 
and a Japanese co-worker.” 

The existence of Christian Literature Societies in various 
countries is a great boon. Intelligent direction is now 
being given to the output of the presses, overlapping is 
avoided, the most gifted writers among missionaries and 
native Christians are being discovered and given tasks in 
accordance with their various capacities and with the spe- 
cial calls for literature in the field. Under such direction the 
work of the literary missionary is enhanced many times 
over, for actual needs are met in a far more satisfactory 
fashion than could be true where haphazard methods are 
still in control. 


II. THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE LITERARY WORKER 


The first fact to be kept in mind is that, like all his fellow 
workers in the mission field, the literary worker is a mis- 
sionary. He is one with them in every essential, different 


14 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


only in the form of activity. If he devotes himself exclu- 
sively to his appointed work and becomes a recluse, he will 
not succeed in the work to which he is assigned. So great 
is this danger that in the opinion of some, no one should 
devote himself exclusively to literary work for a long 
period of time. He must be with his fellow workers in 
their councils; he must understand their problems by 
actual contact with the work; he must know the life of 
the people by sharing it with them. This would indicate 
that back of the special qualifications which should be his, 
must be found those which obtain in the case of every 
trie missionary. In the remarks that follow, emphasis 
will be laid on the special qualifications of the literary 
worker, but not to the neglect of several general qualities 
which should always be mentioned in considering the 
question of the appointment of missionaries. 


1. The Great Essentials. 


The first is personal religious experience. That experi- 
ence may vary all the way from a lofty mysticism to the 
simple faith of a very practical man or woman, but the 
one essential is that it should be vital, an experience of 
fellowship with Christ. This means a growing knowl- 
edge of the Bible, a veritable love for its message; it means 
that prayer is no mere form, but a living fellowship with 
Jesus Christ; it means also a growing sense of horror, of 
sin in all forms and a life of increasing victory over 
temptation. Loyalty to Christ is the deepest motive to 
service, and unselfish devotion to the coming of his King- 
dom the center of all life’s thoughts and activities. In 
addition to all, there must be strong conviction concerning 
the great Christian verities. For no one is this more true 
than for the literary worker, who must be employed con- 
stantly in inculcating positive truth through the written 
word. The character of God, the person and work of 


15 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


Jesus Christ, the authority of the Bible, the nature of 
sin and its consequences, and the issues of life and death 
will demand of him a personal viewpoint from which he 
may make all these doctrines telling messages to the hearts 
and minds of sin-sick men and women, whose great needs 
are the joy of forgiveness, the peace of deliverance, and 
the hope of a purer life now and hereafter. 

An excellent summary of qualities is made by Dr. 
Stanley White as particularly appropriate in the literary 
worker: 

Broadmindedness 

Sympathy 

A readiness to recognize the good in existing religions. 

An absence of the spirit of attack in dealing with other religions. 
Scholarship of the highest quality. 

Linguistic ability. 

Spiritual insight. 

Courtesy and refinement, the spirit of the gentleman. 

And some would add that the saving sense of humor 
should not be omitted when the special qualities of the lit- 
erary worker are mentioned. 


2. The Literary Gift. 


Here we come to a dividing line between missionaries 
in other forms of activity and the literary worker. In 
this respect a literary man must be born and not made. 
We can do no better than listen attentively to Dr. Talcott 
Williams, of the Columbia University School of Jour- 
nalism: 

“No training, no preparation will enable a man to do literary 
work unless he has the ability for it. The task requires certain 
adaptation. In the School of Journalism we weed out without 
hesitation the men without this adaptation, even if they learn 
their lessons. Any man can be trained to write mechanically a 
grammatical sentence and to paragraph his work. It is practicable 
by a somewhat wearisome drill to secure the accuracy of the 


16 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


multiplication table. By a great deal of correction and patient 
supervision a moderate degree of clarity can be secured. Beyond 
that training cannot go. The work such a man turns out will 
never be read by anybody except as men read railroad reports 
or text-books. There the output of such a man will end. It 
cannot be raised above it unless there is the capacity to write. 
If he has this capacity all that I have outlined will be of the 
greatest value. 

“In order to put ‘thoughts into effective form for proper use’ 
or to act ‘as editor of periodical literature’ a man needs ‘news- 
paper initiative,’ the capacity to write and not simply to frame 
sentences. Without this he will turn out the same dull stuff which 
renders shelves full of books unreadable.” 


These wise words sum up about all that needs to be 
said on this point. The literary worker of the type so 
highly desired has “ink in the blood.” Others have made 
statements to the same effect, but none with such clarity 
and authority as Dr. Williams. 

A most difficult question arises at once: How can a 
man himself, or others for him, determine whether he 
possesses this peculiar gift? His own liking and taste 
should lead him to make the attempt, but further than 
this the only test of the pudding, is the eating. A man 
can show that he possesses the literary gift only by writing 
so that people will read what he writes in spite cf their 
attitude to him or to his theme. 


3. The Special Knowledge Necessary for the Literary 
W orker. 


Considerably more is demanded of the literary worker 
by way of exact knowledge and of cultural background 
than of any other missionary. What he writes and what 
he edits must be suited to the peculiar environment—his- 
torical, ethical, ethnic, geographical, social and religious— 
of the people for whom he writes. This requires capacity 
for long-sustained reading and investigation, innate sym- 


17 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


pathy and love for the people and all that concerns them, 
and the perseverance and faith required to perform the 
difficult task imposed on him in face of unfavorable cir- 
cumstances and in view of other calls more clamorous and 
appealing to a man’s sense of immediate need. It is more 
necessary, if possible, for him to master the language than 
for any other worker. This means, then, unusual linguistic 
capacity, but even more the patience to acquire the ver- 
nacular and the literary language so that he may be able 
to write directly to the hearts of the people and cause 
them to desire to read what he prepares for them. The 
immensity of this task is such as to make the stoutest 
hesitate, yet it is an absolute sime qua non for the literary 
worker. Mr. D. Willard Lyon, of China, takes us a step 
further: 


“To me the chief incentive to press forward in my linguistic 
studies is the need of being so thoroughly in touch with Chinese 
thought as to be able to sense the needs of the hour and to make 
sure that these needs are being met. This demands a far more 
thorough type of linguistic training than is required for dictating 
ideas to a Chinese writer who has become accustomed to one’s 
vocabulary.” 


The man chosen for literary work certainly faces no 
easy task. Doubtless it is the most taxing and the most 
difficult form of service. In closing this section, a word 
from two successful literary missionaries may be used. 
First that of Dr. S. M. Zwemer, of Cairo: 


“As regards special qualifications, the man who engages in 
literary work should above all have a broad cultural outlook. All 
literary work done on the foreign field should be free from sec- 
tarian prejudices or narrowness of vision. The broadest possible 
education, therefore, is essential. Literary work, however, on 
the foreign field also includes the laying of foundations for the 
ethical and spiritual faith of millions. Needless to say the one 
who undertakes this task must himself be thoroughly grounded 
in the faith once for all delivered and come to his task, not with 


18 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


the interrogation points of doubt, but with positive convictions 
of truth.” 


The second quotation is from Dr. D. MacGillivray, 
written with China in mind, but readily adapted to the 
situation in any other country: 


“Naturally he must have good eyesight, as he will constantly 
need to be reading Chinese, which puts a big strain on the eye- 
sight. . . . Confinement to the office during stated hours, rain 
or shine, suggests that he should possess a robust constitution. 
The literary worker leads a life of exacting strenuousness. He 
will probably be much in demand on committees and for public 
addresses in English and Chinese. If he is working at a station 
in the interior he will be able to vary his work by occasional ex- 
cursions into other kinds of work. But if in association with 
other workers, these opportunities will be few. . . . What leisure 
he can find he will devote to studies in English and Chinese. 
This he must do, or he will become dry and uninteresting. .. . 
His aim should be to train his Chinese writers so that they may 
gradually emerge from the status of employees into that of col- 
leagues. This training calls for the highest qualities on the part 
of the literary worker.” 


III. Tuer SELECTION AND DESIGNATION OF LITERARY 
WORKERS 


The feature of greatest practical difficulty is now to be 
faced. When and upon what principles shall literary 
workers be selected and designated to their specific task? 
Is it possible, as in the case, for example, of the medical 
man, to decide definitely on the form of work he will enter 
and to prepare for it through a course of years, assured 
that he will be given that appointment? Clearly not. 
There must be no misunderstanding at this point. It is 
the almost unanimous opinion of experienced missionaries 
that no young missionary, however talented and well 
trained, can qualify to be a literary missionary until after 
he has passed through a term of service on the field in 


19 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


evangelistic, educational or some other work. In addition 
to his literary training, it is an absolute requirement that 
he master the language and be perfectly familiar with 
the life of the people. This involves years of missionary 
service, at least the period before the first furlough. It 
clearly demands the use of that furlough for special prepa- 
ration for definite literary work. In tropical countries, 
where the time of service between furloughs is short, 
the testing period may even last until the time of the second 
furlough. 

How, then, in actual practice, is the literary missionary 
led into his task? Again there is an answer that is almost 
unanimous. Men and women should be set aside for longer 
or shorter periods for a definite literary task. This means, 
in the first place, that when a missionary has shown him- 
self to possess literary ability and tastes, he should be 
relieved temporarily of other duties in order to translate 
or write some book, and upon the completion of the task 
should resume his work in the regular ranks. Such expe- 
rience in literary work temporarily may or may not lead 
to his appointment to regular work along literary lines, 
which may become his work for the remainder of his mis- 
sionary career. A number of men are in such lines of 
work at the present time, and the number must be increased 
to meet the needs now arising. 

The British Societies have done better than the American 
in the support of literary work. According to Rev. Jacob 
Speicher, of the China Baptist Publication Society, the 
British Societies support sixty per cent. of the literary 
missionaries in China, the Continental and Canadian 
twenty-three per cent., while the American support only 
seventeen per cent. It is very clear that this is one of 
the greatest unused opportunities lying before our Amer- 
ican Societies to forward the evangelization of the non- 
Christian world. Notable progress has been made by the 


20 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


International Committee’ of the Young Men’s Christian 
Associations by the setting aside of trained men for this 
work. Their example must be followed far more widely 
by other American Societies. The call thus to designate 
missionaries already on the field to literary tasks was 
voiced in almost every conference held by Dr. Mott in 
Asia in 1912-13. 

Is there anything, then, a student volunteer can do 
during the period of his training? He surely may consider 
literary work as a possibility, and keep it in view in his 
preparation. This would lead him to broaden his view 
and to cultivate his literary gifts, neither of which would 
be a loss should he never have the call to devote himself 
to literary work. Of course, it will be the exceptional 
man who will take this long view, but it is exceptional 
work we are dealing with which demands just such a man, 
one with determination, forethought and patience. A very 
interesting letter from Dr. D. MacGillivray, of the Christian 
Literature Society for China, contains the following sen- 
Pence’. 


“You observe that in my judgment no missionary candidate 
should enter at once on this work, and yet it is of such transcend- 
ent importance that its claims ought to be presented early to the 
minds of some men, who have special leanings or special leadings 
toward newspaper and literary work. It often happens at college 
that there are some young fellows who are turning to journalism, 
and they often take the college paper as a starter. I think it 
would be a good thing if Christian young men of that type were 
made acquainted with the possibilities of a rich investment of 
their lives in China along their favorite line.” 


IV. Tue PREPARATION OF THE LITERARY WORKER 


The entire discussion of the preparation of the literary 
worker is determined by what has been said on selection 
and designation. It must be remembered, as in the section 


21 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


on qualifications, that the preparation he receives in com- 
mon with the regular missionary will receive incidental 
notice only. 

In common with other candidates, the literary worker 
should secure college and theological training. In college 
special emphasis should be placed on English literature 
and composition. Beginning thus early he will observe 
the rule, “Write, write, write,’ as the only method of 
acquiring style. He should keep in mind such experiences 
as that of Robert Louis Stevenson, who found it necessary 
to spend years in constant practice to develop style. He 
was in the habit of writing and rewriting his compositions 
—occasionally as many as ten or eleven times over—to 
satisfy his own conscientious sense of fitness. There 
is no royal road to the work of a successful literary 
worker. During these days, with a good library at 
his disposal, he should form the habit of wide reading. 
His interests will be varied if he proves to be a successful 
literary worker, and the foundations of his knowledge on 
most subjects must be laid in these early days or never 
be laid at all. One of the points where the literary worker 
may fail in his exacting task is in regard to knowledge 
and accuracy of statement. He may find himself ignorant 
at a place where if he only knew more he might increase 
his efficiency manyfold. It is suggested that he sécure, if 
possible, an appointment on the college paper and make 
the most of the opportunity. In these days he may be able 
to test himself out and discover his fitness or unfitness 
for such work from the advice of his friends and critics 
and his instructors. While college courses in general 
education and pedagogy would prove valuable, ‘“‘so as to 
know the best way of presenting the truth to different 
classes and ages,” he should know as many languages as 
possible. For those whose call is to Biblical translation 
and the preparation of commentaries and other helps which 


22 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


demand technical and exact linguistic skill, a knowledge 
of the Scriptures in the original Greek’ and Hebrew is 
essential. Of modern languages, French and German are 
well nigh indispensable. This is true of Spanish or Portu- 
guese, of course, for Latin countries. 

If a theological course is important for the evangelistic 
missionary, it is even more so for the literary worker who 
is to write on religious and theological themes. His work 
will lead him into theological and religious channels 
constantly. Christian apologetics, as well as Christian 
doctrine, will be a kind of reservoir from which he must 
draw copiously. Theological emptiness would be a calamity 
in a man of this particular work more than in any other. 
At some time in his preparation a good course in com- 
parative religion or the history of religion should be 
taken, on which further studies in the religion of a par- 
ticular country will be based. Even more fundamental are 
courses on the psychology and philosophy of religion. So 
much is clear and may be recommended without hesitation. 
It is about all that can be said to the missionary candidate 
who has had no experience on the field. 

Any candidate who reads these lines will see clearly the 
direction in which this report is leading. No man or 
woman can expect to be sent to the mission field as a 
literary worker. It follows, then, that little can be said 
in the way of specific direction for the preparation of the 
literary worker before he goes to the field for the first 
time.* 

The next stage in the evolution of the literary missionary 


1It is recommended, therefore, that the young man who believes that he has 
the qualification for literary work and has decided that in this way he can make 
his greatest contribution as a missionary, study carefully the suggestions for 
' the preparation of the ordained man issued by the Board of Missionary Prep- 
aration, taking this as his guide in his preparation. Or perhaps his secondary 
choice may be for the work as a teacher. If so, let him take as his guide the 
pamphlet on the “Preparation of the Educational Missionary,” supplementing 
these suggestions by what is said here about the special preparation of the 
literary worker. 


23 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


will be on the field during his early years of service. But, 
paradoxical as it may appear, the literary worker should 
not be in literary work at all during this time. He is a 
regular missionary doing work just like his fellows. Of 
course, he has a special appointment, but it is not to literary 
service. Whether he be placed in educational work or in 
the more general evangelistic or administrative service, 
his chief task is to learn the language and to orient him- 
self in the country. In every respect the embryonic literary 
worker must prove himself to be an efficient missionary 
in some other field than that of literary work. This is a 
prime requisite. He must be a missionary of proved worth, 
first, in some other line, if he is to qualify as one fit to 
be designated to literary work. He must become a real 
missionary in spirit and in practice. Even more thor- 
oughly than is essential for the “regular” missionary, he 
must lay deep foundations in the vernacular and in knowl- 
edge of the life of the people. All their interests must 
be in a sense his—their customs, mental outlook, historical 
development, social organization, economic condition, and 
religious life. Failing here, he can never realize his ambi- 
tion to help provide a Christian literature for the people. 
He may be a man of great literary promise, but this will 
not save him. He simply must know the people and their 
language to be called into this unique literary field. 
Dr. S. M. Zwemer states the case thus: 


“Early years on the mission field of future literary workers 
should be spent in evangelistic and educational work—both if 
possible. The former to bring him into touch with the common 
people and the popular form of the non-Christian faiths; the lat- 
ter to give him an insight into the mind and thought of the educated 
classes and the modern movements on religious and social lines. 
The very fact of this need emphasizes the choice of these workers 
not before but after a period of service.” 


But while literary work will not be his province during 
24 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


this period, the literary worker will be in a very real sense 
in the making. During this term of service he will inevi- 
tably be differentiated from others. Gradually it will 
become clear that this man or woman will find the broadest 
field of usefulness along literary lines. This process of 
differentiation is in no sense arbitrary. His literary gifts 
and his bent of mind will become evident to all, and he 
and his fellow workers will realize that everything in his 
work on the field leads to but one conclusion, that he should 
turn his energies to literary tasks. While others are spend- 
ing their spare time, such as a missionary has, in the lines 
of their particular interest, he has it on his heart increas- 
ingly to preach his message through the printed page. 
Not exactly in spite of, but through, all his regular work 
this tendency will develop until it becomes a foregone 
conclusion to his coworkers that this man has made it 
inevitable that he be assigned to literary work. And thus 
he becomes a literary worker. His reading, his delight 
in writing, the ability he shows in producing readable 
material, and his vision of the possibilities of this form 
of service—all these are factors in the final conclusion 
which is reached. He has won his literary spurs and can 
safely be designated to that work. 

So far, then, as direct preparation for his specific task 
is concerned, the first furlough appears to be the only open 
period for our literary worker. He has now, let us say, 
been recommended by his mission and designated by his 
Board to this task. He should be allowed by his Board 
so to plan his stay at home that all needed preparation 
and training may be secured. It may be necessary for 
him to lay aside for a time all other work on the field to 
make a special study of the language or of some subject 
on the field itselfi—with a native scholar or at a university. 
He knows the field, his work, and the particular training 
he needs. This training will lie in nearly all cases along 


25 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


at least two lines. He will seek guidance in the technique 
of writing and editorial work. These can be secured in 
this country at several centers. The Columbia University 
School of Journalism, for example, offers facilities of the 
widest range to all who are to be connected with journalism 
in any of its branches. It would be wise for most to 
pursue such courses where at the same time a first-hand 
study could be made of printing, publishing and distribution 
of literature. Not that in all, or even many, cases will the 
literary worker engage in these practical activities, but that 
all knowledge he may possess along these lines will never 
be amiss, and may prove to be of the highest value. 

Aside from these two fields for training the range of 
subjects to which he may desire to devote special attention 
is almost limitless. Every missionary will desire to take 
courses on subjects connected with his immediate task. It 
may be theology or history or sociology or education or 
household economics. The furlough is his great oppor- 
tunity for study at one of the educational centers of the 
country, and he should make the most of it. 

Our treatment has run the danger of being theoretical. 
An ideal situation has been depicted. This has been neces- 
sary in the nature of the case. No one man or woman 
will follow exactly the evolution presented here. Yet if 
the convictions of the wisest missionaries and mission board 
secretaries are of any value, the mode of procedure herein 
given must be followed if the best results are to flow 
from the largely increased emphasis which is to be placed 
upon the production of literature on the mission field. 

A very delicate question is that of the permanence or 
the temporary character of the assignment to literary work 
on the part of any worker.. Is he to be such exclusively, 
or, if he be assigned to a special literary task, shall he 
return to his regular work when that task is completed? 
Or, again, will not most men who write do so in connec- 


26 


PREPARATION FOR LITERARY WORK 


tion with other work? Most probably the last description 
will cover the actual experience of more men and women 
than the others. But however that may be, the principles 
stated hold quite as well for them as for another who may 
be called to give all his time to literary work. He must 
have certain aptitudes or he would not be chosen to devote 
even a part of his valuable time to writing, and he needs 
training to make himself more effective. In many ways 
this part-time literary worker has an advantage. He is 
in the closest touch with the people and the church and the 
life of the community, and nothing can compensate for any 
lack here. 

All that has been said in this report must be interpreted 
in the light of the necessity of a sense of Divine guidance 
in entering and continuing in literary work. No higher 
form of service can be imagined. This makes it impera- 
tive that the literary worker carry with him at all times 
a deep sense of the Divine call to that particular form of 
service. If other workers stand in need of this conviction 
in immediate contact with the pulsing needs of humanity, 
the more so does the literary worker, partly isolated as he 
is and compelled to struggle with his problems alone. Only 
the consciousness of God’s presence will provide the patience 
and the energy to enable him not to be ashamed as he 
handles aright the word of truth. 


27 





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